Long Live the Chief: Life on Berk after HTTYD 2
by kchaos85
Summary: I wanted a place to gather all my ideas for one shots set after HTTYD2. These will focus on life on Berk. Hiccup adjusting to his new role as Chief, getting to know his mother, and mourning his father. Just dribbles if you will. Rating M just in case. I'm just trying to fulfill my insatiable need for more Hiccstrid fluff. Hopefully others can enjoy as well. :)
1. Meet my mother

**a/n: this chapters pretty safe, probably a T rating. During the movie it didn't appear that the gang really had much time to be formally introduced to Hiccup's mom, and wanted to write about Astrid meeting Valka (officially anyway) for the first time. I'm open to suggestions for one shots. Constructive criticism is appreciated as I would love to improve my writing, just be kind. Its been a LONG time since I've done any creative writing so I'm a tad rusty. (when I say long, I mean like, 15 years... yes, I am a dinosaur) **

Meet My Mother:

Hiccup stood gazing at the painting of his father in the Great Hall. He hadn't had time to really stop and think, nor time to reflect. In the span of just a few short days, he had discovered his mother, lost his father, and defeated the evil bewilderbeast and the maniac who had taken control of him. He also now stood in the Great Hall as the newest chief of Berk. It was a lot to take in all at once, so he sought quiet and solitude for just a few moments.

His sanctuary was short lived, however. He soon heard the familiar soft footsteps of a certain blonde Viking he had grown accustom to having around. He couldn't help but smile when he felt her arm brush his as she joined him at his side. She reached for his hand and squeezed it. He partially turned toward her in acknowledgement and smiled meekly. She knowingly returned his smile before resting her head against his shoulder. They stood in silent reverie for several moments, looking at the painting of Stoick and Hiccup together, painted nearly 5 years ago.

Hiccup turned finally to Astrid, looking down at her, revealing dried tear streaks on his face. It was only with Astrid that he would let himself feel so vulnerable. She reached up and wiped away the residue. "We all miss him, Hiccup." She said. "I am so sorry."

He bent his head down to kiss her, and the two embraced, both taking comfort in each other's arms. It was at this moment, they realized they weren't alone. Valka had entered the Great Hall, and was keeping a respectful distance as she saw the young couple holding one another. Hiccup gave Astrid a pinched smile and grabbed her by the hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss her fingertips, before leading her to Valka. His mother hesitantly walked towards them.

"Mom," he said to Valka once they had met in the middle of the room. "I don't believe I've had a chance to officially introduce you." He smiled at his mother and then back at Astrid. "Astrid, I'd like you to meet my mother." Hiccup then turned to his mom, "Mom, this is Astrid, my fiancé."

Valka placed her hands on Astrid's shoulders. "It's a pleasure to meet ye, lass." She smiled. She then gave Hiccup an all knowing look, the kind only a mother can give. The sight of it made Hiccup's heart squeeze a little in his chest. He had seen his friend's mothers give them that look, he never thought he would be so privileged to be on the receiving end of it himself. "Ye could have told me ye were engaged, ye know." She gave him a playful smile with her head cocked thoughtfully to the side, on arm bent and resting on her waist.

The three of them laughed. Hiccup shook his head. "Forgive me, mom. I guess I should have asked the Bewilderbeast to hold on, my mom needs to be caught up on the details of my love life." He quipped sarcastically.

Valka laughed. She squeezed both Astrid and Hiccup in a warm hug. "Well, we have 20 years' worth of catching up to do, and that certainly can't happen in one night." She yawned. "And you, my dear," She added, taking Astrid's hand to squeeze, "well, we will have our own catching up to do as well, won't we."

"How about I show you to our home, mom, so you can get some sleep." Hiccup started to pull away from Astrid as he took his mother by the elbow.

Valka quickly shot him down. "That's ok, son." She protested. "In case ye've forgotten, I used to live here. I think I can find me way home. Besides, I didn't mean to interrupt." She looked knowingly from Hiccup to Astrid. "Ye don't need this old lady hanging around when ye mean to be left alone." She winked and before Hiccup could protest, she was out the door.

Astrid let out a deep breath that she didn't even realize she was holding. "That seemed to go alright. I didn't realize I had been so nervous about meeting her," she thought out loud. Hiccup simply lured her back into his arms and engulfed her in a warm embrace.

"So where were we?" He whispered in her ear. Astrid gladly reminded him.


	2. Grief

**A/N: Mind the M rating on this one- I put it to good use. You've been warned. (I'm way too into Hiccstrid smut!) **

It had been a long day. The village had thrown a great feast for the Haddock family. The village had not had the opportunity until now to properly mourn Stoick's death, or celebrate Hiccup becoming the new chief, and lastly, celebrate the homecoming of Valka. We were exhausted. We had spent the last several weeks cleaning up the worst of the icy spikes of the Bewilderbeast from the village, and the worst of it was finally cleared. Although we all knew it would take several months, if not years, to completely rebuild the infrastructure of the island.

As exhausted as everyone was, they still insisted on throwing a great feast. It had been a long night for Hiccup, I could see it in his eyes. He'd been working his hands to the bone with the cleanup, spending long nights in the forge sweating out every last ounce of energy he had to make all the metal braces, nails, and beams that would be needed to rebuild. I often snuck off to the Forge in the middle of the night because I knew I would find him working. I tried to coax him to get some sleep the first few nights, but after failed attempts of dragging the new chief back to his bed, I had given up and decided to just do whatever I could to help him. Most nights it was just keeping him company, bringing him water, mead, fish, whatever he might be in the mood for. I could tell if he was left alone too long with his own thoughts, he would let himself be eaten alive by the events that led up to his father's death. I knew my Fiancé better than everyone, and I knew that he would be hardest on himself.

So I had sat by his side all night in the Great Hall. I held Hiccup's hand as villagers stood up one by one to say a few words about Stoick the Vast. The night had taken a somber turn and I could see a lump stuck in Hiccup's throat as he listened to stories of his father's great deeds. I could tell he was trying his best to swallow it down and appear strong to the village, and for anyone else he probably looked fine. Only I really knew of the telltale signs of Hiccup when he is sad or upset. He had worked all his life to try to hide his more sensitive side from the village, but his sensitivity and depth were the things I loved most about him.

The night had finally wound down and everyone was making their way back home. Valka hugged her son and announced that she would be going for a late night ride on cloud jumper, and asked Hiccup not to be concerned if she wasn't back for a few hours. Finally, it was just Hiccup and I left in The Great Hall.

"Please don't tell me you are thinking about going back to the Forge tonight?" I asked Hiccup, genuinely concerned. "You've been working yourself ragged, and then all of…. Well, this…. Tonight." I sighed. "Hiccup, you need to get some rest sometime!"

Hiccup sat slumped over, elbows resting on his knees, head bowed, eyes closed. He titled his head up toward me and peaked at me through his hair. "I need you," he said simply.

I was taken aback by his sudden confession. When I looked closer I could see that his eyes had begun to well up and he had let a single tear slide down his cheek.

"Oh, Hiccup!" I rushed to embrace him, sitting beside him as we collapsed into each other. We sat holding each other tightly, as though for dear life. Hiccup sniffled a few times as he was still trying to hold back. "We all miss him, Hiccup." I told him as I could feel tears welling in my own eyes.

"Astrid, I-I don't want to be alone tonight. I-I… don't know…." His voice trailed off.

I took Hiccup's face in my hands and searched his eyes. "You want me, you have me."

"I, I know it's a little, risky, if anyone found out… but, for Odin's sakes, I'm the chief after all… there should be some, well, perks to the job." He pressed his head into my hands, closing his eyes briefly as though soaking in my touch. "I've really enjoyed your nightly company at the forge, it's kept me out of my head…."

I quieted him by pressing my lips to his. He kissed back and wrapped his arms around me. "I know your mother said she'd be out for a while, but do you think she'd notice, or say anything, if she came home and I was there?" The idea of staying with Hiccup overnight was beginning to excite me. Sure, we had given each other our bodies already, but it had always been in secret, away from the village, or a quick tryst in the forge, we'd never been so bold as to actually spend the night together in our own houses.

Hiccup shook his head. "Nah, she sleeps downstairs, and she gets up early to fly Cloudjumper."

I pulled him close. "Then let's go. I'm exhausted."

I let Hiccup lead me to his house. Toothless was inside and already sleeping soundly. It had been a late night for dragon and Viking alike. Hiccup led me to his bed and we sat together. My heart was pounding hard in my chest as he took off his tunic and boot. I slowly removed my fur hood and arm warmers, taking off any extraneous clothing until I was left just in my tights and shirt. I wasn't really sure what was going to win out tonight. Seeing him vulnerable and now shirtless was stirring my desires for him, but I was so completely drained that simply falling asleep cuddled in Hiccup's arms felt just as wonderful. Also, with everything that had happened in the past two weeks, we had not had a chance to be intimate with each other, save for a chaste kissed here or there about the village between cleanup, and a few stolen moments in the forge that probably just left us more frustrated than satisfied.

Hiccup reached for me as he laid down in his bed, pulling me down with him. We laid together on our sides, facing each other and holding each other tight.

"Oh Astrid." Hiccup whispered, burying his face into my hair. "I need you so much tonight. Thank you for agreeing to stay the night with me."

"Hiccup," I began, kissing his neck, "Wild dragons couldn't have kept me away." I felt him smile and he tightened his arms around me. I tightened my grip as well, and felt myself suddenly aware of our touching bodies. It sent a shiver of electricity down my spine. Hiccup must have felt it too because he subconsciously pressed his hips into mine and I could feel his arousal. I giggled a little to myself.

"I thought we were just sleeping, Hiccup." I teased as I reached my hand down to stroke the bulge in Hiccup's pants.

"Whatever gave you that idea, milady?" he teased back as he caught his breath in response to my touch. "Besides," He growled deep in his throat, "how can I have such a beautiful woman in my bed and _not_ do something about it."

Hiccup's breath was quickening, and hearing his body react to my strokes made the heat grow in my own body. My own breath began to quicken and Hiccup brought his hands to my body, sliding one hand up my shirt and under my breast bindings. His rough, calloused hands against the bare skin on my chest sent ripples of pleasure through me and I arched my back in response as his fingers brushed my nipple, giving it a little squeeze. His other hand wondered north, rubbing the space between my legs through my tights.

"Oh Hiccup!" I cried out as his hand became more invasive, sliding underneath my tights, finding the little nub of pleasure just above my creases.

"I think we are wearing too many clothes." Hiccup teased as he began to tug at my shirt and tights. I smiled as I grabbed my shirt and pulled it over my head. Hiccup made fast work of my breast bindings as well while I hastily pulled down my tights. I then began tugging at Hiccup's pants and he quickly wiggled out of those as well, his erection escaping into the freedom of open air and beckoning to me. He reached his lips down and kissed me, hard, as our hands were exploring each other's now naked bodies. I reached down to his arousal and began to stroke, up and down, feeling smug as I heard Hiccup react to every stroke.

"My soon to be wife is such a little vixen." He smiled against my lips before reaching down to kiss my neck. He found just the right little spot and nipped and sucked while I moaned with pleasure. His hands had found their way back down to my creases and he was devilishly teasing me with his deft fingers. "…and she gets so wet and ready for me so quickly." He added with a smile as he could feel my body react to his teasing.

As exhausted as I was, as I'm sure we both were, I wanted this boy so badly right now that my body was screaming. No longer satisfied with only touching Hiccup's arousal with my hands, I pushed him onto his back and propped myself up on my knees. "I could say the same for you, babe." I teased as I handled his rock hard erection on my hands, before leaning my head down to softly kiss it on the tip while running my hands up and down the shaft. Slowly at first I began to lick, and then took him inside my mouth. I bobbed my head up and down matching his rhythm as he wiggled beneath me. I stole a quick glance up at his face and his head was back on his pillow and his eyes were squeezed closed. He was grunting and growling.

"Oh Astrid!" He cried out, "I will never get tired of what you do to me!" He pulled me on top of him and kissed me. Then he flipped us around so I was on my back and he was on top of me, and kissed me again, hard. He began to rub my breasts, squeezing and stroking. I could feel him between my legs, his length rubbing against my thigh. I reached my own hand down and touched myself, feeling my own wetness, and then grabbed again at Hiccup, silently pleading for him to be inside me. Hiccup grinned against my mouth.

"Is someone ready already?" he teased, bringing one hand down to my sex and stroking inside my folds.

"Oh Gods, Hiccup!" I couldn't take it anymore. The pressure and heat were building deep inside. I felt I would die if he wasn't inside me soon, "please!"

Hiccup smiled again and sat up on his knees, positioning himself between my legs, and guided himself inside me. The sensation brought ripples of pleasure through my body and I moaned out in ecstasy. He slid himself in and out, slowly at first, but gaining speed as I rocked my own hips against him. He rested back down on his elbows, bringing his body tight to mine as we rocked together. He moaned deep in his throat as he kissed me. I ran my hands down his back and rested them on his butt, squeezing his cheeks and pulling them into me to adjust the rhythm. He reached down with his thumb and rubbed at my nub and I lost it. My body betrayed me as my own rhythm became erratic and unstable, and my orgasm washed over me. I was only somewhat aware of how loudly I was screaming until Hiccup touched his cheek to mine, whispering in my ear, "So much for being sneaky, you are going to wake up the entire village!"

My eyes popped open and I gasped, "Oh my gods, I'm sorry." I brought my hands up to hide my face.

"Don't be." Hiccup laughed, moving my hands away and kissing me as he continued his thrusting. "I like that I can make you scream like that." His own thrusting was becoming more intense and I could tell he was close. I grinned to myself as I remembered what would push him over the edge.

"Oh, Hiccup!" I said as I could feel his breath getting quicker and his moans getting louder, hearing him made my own body quake even more. "My chief!"

He made a final thrust and went completely stiff as his seed spilled into me. I wrapped my arms around him as he collapsed down on me. He began to pull himself out. "No, Hiccup…" I started, grabbing his hips. "Just, stay there for a while. I like feeling you inside me." Hiccup smiled and relaxed back down.

"Ah-hem…" we heard from the stairway. We both snapped our heads up to see Valka, standing frozen, with her eyes wide. Hiccup grabbed the blanket and pulled it over our naked bodies.

"Mom! What the…." Hiccup looked at his mom with wide eyes. "I thought you were going to be gone for a few hours."

Valka blinked at her son as if trying to pull her wits together. "I was… I'm sorry," she finally pulled her senses together enough to tear her gaze away from us and looked down on the floor. "I… I heard screaming and thought something was… wrong." Her cheeks flushed. "Hiccup, don't ye think this is a little… risky? What if the village finds out!"

"What, are you going to say something?" Hiccup knew she wouldn't, but still quizzed his mother.

"Of course not, Hiccup!" She said defensively, "But those screams were pretty loud, I can't guarantee that no one else heard…" her voice trailed off and it seemed she was trying to decide how much mothering she should be doing. "Hiccup, son, ye aren't married yet, this isn't exactly proper chief behavior!"

"Uh, I hate to break it to you, mom" Hiccup replied, "but that ship sailed a long time ago." He looked down at me, grasping the blankets at a failed attempt at modesty, given our current position. "Now, we are going to sleep, I trust this isn't a problem?" He eyed his mother.

Valka began to laugh. "Ok, Hiccup. Just, try to be more careful, eh?" she then shifted her gaze to me, "And Astrid, try to at least pretend to sneak out in the morning, will ye?" She slowly retreated down the stairs to her own bed.

Hiccup looked down at me and kissed me. "Whoops," was all he could manage to say. I giggled and pulled him in closer.

"Well, I guess that'll teach your mom to investigate screaming coming from your room." I teased. Hiccup settled down next to me on the bed and pulled my in close, my head against his chest. He kissed me on the top of the head. The exhaustion of the day began to tug at my eyelids and I could already feel Hiccup's breath getting heavy with exhaustion.

"Goodnight, Astrid. Again, thanks for staying with me tonight."

I hugged him closer. We both fell into a deep, exhausted, but fully satisfied sleep.


	3. A Tortured Soul

**A/N: This is kind of a continuation from the last chapter. Not so rated M in this chapter. I wanted to play around with the relationship of Astrid and Valka. **

"No!"

I was jostled awake, aware of movement next to me. I blinked my eyes open, slowly at first, but they flew open when a heavy arm swatted at my chest. It took a moment for me to adjust to what was happening, but once I was able to rub the confusion of sleep out of my eyes, my heart squeezed in my chest.

_Hiccup. _

His whole body was wet, with sweat beading on his forehead. He thrashed his limbs to and fro, fighting an invisible monster. "No!" came again from his lips, teeth clenched, followed by, "Dad! No!" My heart squeezed a little tighter.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time I'd awoken so violently to my future husband's nightmares. It always happened more frequently right after some kind of trauma, but I knew that it would get better with time. Normally just a few times a month once he settled down.

It had only been a few weeks since his father's death, and his fight with Drago that destroyed our village. I'm actually surprised it took this long for his nightmares to start again. Then again, I'd only just started sleeping in his bed on a routine basis. Before it was just a stolen night here or there. Hiccup would steal away to my window, or I to his. Or we'd fly away on our dragons and sleep together far away. None of this ever kept the dreams completely at bay. I knew this was why he wanted me to start staying with him at night. We were as discrete as possible, since we still had a few months until our wedding day, but no one in the village would say anything at this point. Like Hiccup said…. Being the chief has to have some perks, right?

Hiccup was starting to still, but it was obvious his demons were still tormenting him. I sat up and leaned over him resting on my right hand, and with my left, gently stroked the sweat soaked hair out of his eyes. "shhhhh" was all I could manage. "Shhhh, babe, its ok." I leaned down and traced his jawline with kisses, up to his forehead, tasting the salt of his skin. feeling the rough stubble of his jaw. His eyes began to flutter open and I waited for him to come out of his dream.

"Astrid!" Hiccup gasped, grabbing me down to rest on his chest, hugging me tight. "I'm sorry, did I wake you again?"

"Its ok, Hiccup." I cooed. "Another bad one, huh? Have you been having a lot lately?"

Hiccup made a grumbling noise in his throat that confirmed my suspicions. I squeezed him tighter.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, and I could see a lump forming in his throat. "My dad…" was all he could manage to say. After we laid in silence for a moment. He continued. "I hope it gets easier. I mean, with time, anyway." I could feel his chest start to quake beneath me. I was the only one he would let himself cry around, but I knew he still preferred that I didn't see his tears.

"Do you need anything from the kitchen? Something to drink maybe?" I kissed him on each cheek, before finding his trembling lips, trying desperately to soothe his soul. He only nodded meekly.

I jumped up and put on a nightshirt. I hadn't bothered to put it on after last night's lovemaking. I snuck down the stairs, trying to be quiet as a mouse, so I wouldn't wake Valka. When I reached the first floor, I was startled to see her already up, sitting in Stoick's armchair, sipping on a goblet of mead.

She looked at me wearily, but warmly. "Good evening, Astrid." She said plainly, taking another sip of her drink.

"Good evening." I replied back. "Just… getting a drink for Hiccup." Valka and I hadn't really had much chance to really get to know each other yet, and our interactions were still a little… strained.

The woman nodded and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. I turned towards the kitchen to get a few cups of our own mead to take back up to Hiccup. It was dead quiet in the Haddock house, except for the quiet sounds of gentle sobbing that wafted down the stairs, barely audible. If I hadn't been listening for it I may not have even noticed it. I could feel my heart aching to hear him, my own eyes growing wet. I sniffled myself, trying to hold back my own flood of emotions.

"Astrid?"

Valka's voice surprised me. I turned around to face her. She sat still in her chair, her eyes searching mine, pleading almost. "Astrid, I'm worried about Hiccup. The nightmares he has, he has had them nearly every night since…." Her voice broke.

"Every night?" I sighed, feeling defeated. He had been holding back from me. No wonder he'd been staying so late in the forge.

"Well, every night until ye started staying over. Honestly, it's why I didn't say much when I discovered ye here. Ye being here seems to sooth him." She looked down then, looking a bit embarrassed. It was clear to me why, as his mother she probably felt she should be able to take away his tears, but she'd been gone for so long… "Come… come talk with me, Astrid." She said, motioning to Hiccup's chair beside her.

I glanced up to the loft bedroom above us. I could still faintly hear Hiccup's tears. I wanted to give him a few more minutes of privacy anyway, before I came back up with our mead. I nodded to Valka and made my way to sit beside her.

"Did he have these nightmares before his father…." Her voice trailed again. She couldn't seem to form the words. I simply nodded.

"I only really know firsthand about the ones after the Red Death, after he lost his leg." I winced when I saw the look of pain on his mother's face. It must be hard, to realize everything you've missed in 20 years. "But, he told me he had always had nightmares before. They just seem to get worse after something bad happens." I shrugged, taking a sip of my own mead cup in my hands. "…but they never go away fully."

"So… he has nightmares of his battles, like when he lost his leg, and now…" she looked down and took another sip of her mead.

"Well, those are the main ones." I replied. "Sometimes, especially on nights when a large storm is heading our way, his leg hurts him so badly that he can't sleep at all." I sighed as I remembered those nights, which were especially bad the first few months after. He would throw rocks at my window and plead with me to go away with him. We would just hold each other as he grasped at his stump, cursing his prosthetic. "But that's not the only thing he's dreamed about." I looked at her, a little apprehensive, wondering how much she really wanted to hear.

She sat back and looked at me expectantly, her fingers drawing quiet circles around the opening of her glass.

I gulped. "He used to have dreams where he was searching for you." I said finally. "He had one reoccurring one that you were being taken by dragons and he ran after you until he couldn't run anymore, and he felt so guilty that he couldn't catch you in time…"

"He was only a babe!" Valka gasped, surprised.

"I know… he knows… but in his dreams, he was older, and you were just out of his reach." I sighed again, taking another sip of my mead. I tried very hard to accept Valka's homecoming, but sometimes when I thought back to all the pain Hiccup suffered because she wasn't around, it made it really hard for me to forgive her. I know Hiccup had. I tried, but a part of me felt she needed to know just how much her absence had affected Hiccup. We sat in silence for several minutes.

"I wanted to ask him, when I'd hear him waking up from his demons upstairs, but I was afraid I'd be prying. I thought maybe he'd tell me on his own time." She looked guiltily into her goblet, studying it harder than necessary. "And then the one night I decided to check on him…"

She was referring to the night she caught us, the first night I began sleeping at the Haddock household. I could feel my cheeks burning and was glad that there was only a few candles lit, it would be more difficult for her to notice. I was growing more aware of the time that had passed since I came down stairs, I no longer heard any of his anguished cries, and he was probably ready for me to go back up. I looked over to Valka who was still looking down into her cup. I began to stand up from my chair and her face snapped up to mine and she reached out her hand to rest on my forearm. Alarmed, I sat back down.

"Hiccup is probably ready for me to come back up…" I began.

"Aye, I know." She looked up to the loft above us and sighed. "It seems only you can help tame his demons." She looked back at me. "Just, tell me. Do you know why… why he continues to have these nightmares?"

I took a deep breath. "I don't know that I really _know_, per say, but my theory is that he has never really felt whole." I sighed to myself because I knew that I couldn't make him whole either. "First, I think it was because…, " my voice trailed off as I glanced in her direction, and I think she understood. "Then, he lost his foot. He tries act like it's nothing, but I know it bothers him a great deal. Now his father…" I took another quick sip of my mead, realizing that my cup was nearly gone, a warm feeling spreading through my belly. "To be honest, I think Toothless is the only thing that really helps him feel whole. It wasn't until they came together that he started to feel more confident around the village, really coming into his own."

"Hiccup hasn't talked to me much about his childhood." She admitted.

"Well, it's only been a few weeks, I'm sure it will come." I was beginning to get anxious to get back to Hiccup.

"Astrid?" Hearing Hiccup's voice snapped both of our eyes up towards the loft bedroom.

I looked at Valka and she gingerly removed her hand from my forearm, as though she had forgotten it was still there. "Go on." She said, settling back into her chair. "Thank ye, for taking the time to talk to me, even if fer just a minute."

I nodded to Valka and began to make my way back up the stairs, my nearly empty cup of mead, and Hiccup's about half full. I was about half way up when Valka's voice interrupted my thoughts again. "Astrid, I'm going to go for a quick moonlight ride on Cloudjumper. I turned my head to her in acknowledgement and she winked at me as she slipped out the front door.

I made my way to Hiccup who was sitting on the side of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. Toothless was sitting at his feet, his large head up in Hiccup's lap while Hiccup rubbed the top of his head. He looked up when I came up the stairs. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry. Your mom was up and wanted to talk." I answered as casually as I could. I sat next to him and handed him his cup of mead.

"Thank you, milady." I took it from me and guzzled it down. I finished the last of my cup as well. Hiccup took my cup and set them on the nightstand. I was glad that he seemed to be feeling a little better. I reached over and stroked his cheeks to remove any residue from his tears. "I'm fine." he said with a tight smile.

"Is there anything else I can do?"

He grinned and pulled me up into his lap, wrapping his arms around me. Out of instinct I leaned down to find his lips. First it was just a short, chaste kiss. I looked into his eyes. "Astrid, you have a way of helping me forget, even if just for a little while."

We resumed kissing and it wasn't long until we put the fact that Valka had left the house to good use.


	4. Astrid learns her lesson

**A/N: I started taking Drabble requests on Tumblr, and felt like sharing. This is going to jump quite a bit in time, Hiccup is the well established chief by now, and has been for awhile. Definitely rated M on this one. The request this fulfilled was two fold. I had a request for a dominant Hiccup, and request for a drabble where Astrid was making fun/teasing Hiccup and it ended in sex. So... here ya go. Breaking my hiatus. **

"Seriously, Astrid… can we drop it!" Hiccup's face flushed with embarrassment, but his wife didn't seem to take the hint.

"I mean, come on, Hiccup!" Astrid continued to laugh. "I can't believe you thought Snotlout would actually do something right, for once." Astrid didn't know what came over Hiccup, putting Snotlout in charge of the sleeping arrangements for their latest diplomatic adventure. Snotlout had of course paired himself with Ruffnut, and everything had fallen apart when Ruffnut refused to share sleeping quarters with him, hurting his pride and causing an indignant Snotlout to storm off, nearly blowing the entire visit with the Meathead Tribe.

Hiccup stared at his hands sitting on the cliff, looking out to the ocean. "Yeah, yeah… I know. Hiccup the screw up, Hiccup the useless. Excuse me for trying to believe the best in people." His head lowered and eyes closed.

"Oh babe," Astrid began as she stood behind him, her hands brushing his shoulders as she moved to sit next to him. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

Hiccup's jaw clenched, but he said nothing and kept staring out to sea.

"Oh… now you're pouting, big baby boo?" Astrid teased, repeating a line she'd heard him use on Toothless. She leaned in and kissed his cheek, but he didn't even flinch. "oh what? Are you going to make me beg for forgiveness?" there was still no response from the chief. He merely looked down at his hands again, holding his pencil and flipping it around in his deft fingers. Sometimes Astrid would just watch as he spun the pencil around. It was a heated reminder of the other things that his fingers were good at doing.

Astrid did NOT like being ignored. She twisted her body to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead into his. "Alright, Hiccup. What do I have to do to take it back?" She smiled but she could feel his jaw clench again. His eyes came up to meet hers. They were intense and hard, but there was still a spark of playfulness.

"Don't speak." He said, somewhat forcefully.

"wha…." Astrid began, perplexed by his request.

"I said," Hiccup began, voice becoming more forceful, "don't speak."

Astrid drew her fingers to her lips and made a locking motion to signify that her lips were sealed. She looked at him curiously, wondering what he was going to do next.

Hiccup's jaw clenched again and his stare into her eyes was piercing. Astrid blinked a few times due to the intensity of his gaze. She fidgeted a little nervously in front of him, her arms still around his neck. Finally, he brought his hands up to cup her face and pulled her in for a kiss. It wasn't their usual kind of kiss. It was hard, and there was something almost dark about it. Astrid could feel her lips bruising under the pressure. He let her go and looked her up and down in a way that both made Astrid feel giddy and impossibly exposed.

She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. They were still on Meathead Island, but their spot overlooking the cliff was pretty secluded and a good couple of hours hike away from the main village. Of course, on dragons it was only a few minutes, but no one else on Meathead Island had dragons. They were completely alone. The idea both excited and terrified her. She could feel her heart rate pick up as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She'd never seen Hiccup looking at her this intensely before, and she wasn't sure what he was going to do. Was he really this upset with her?

As though sensing Astrid's apprehension, he pulled her towards him to kiss her again. "Ok, Astrid." He said softly into her ear. "You want to be forgiven? You'll do anything?" There was a hint of playfulness in his voice that put Astrid at ease. "You know what I really want?" Astrid nodded. "I want to see my sexy wife, right now."

"But you are seeing me!" Astrid half giggled but was stopped by Hiccup's stern stare.

"First, I said no talking, unless I expressly ask you to!" He reminded her, tightening his grip on her arm. "Second, I want to see ALL of my sexy wife."

Astrid was NOT used to Hiccup being so assertive. It took a moment for his meaning to register. When it did, a playful smile tickled at the corner of her lips. She stood up and moved a few steps away from Hiccup. He sat up straight, leaned forward, and folded his legs under, staring. She blew him a kiss before slowly removing her shoulder armor and fur hood. Having him watch her and calling the shots was new, different, and oddly arousing. Hiccup began telling her what to remove next, and how quickly she should do it. "Now remove your skirt," He had commanded, and when he didn't like how quickly she was moving, qualified his command by saying, "Slower!" Astrid slowed to snail speed and teasingly rocked her hips to wiggle out of her skirt, letting it fall gracefully around her feet.

"Now turn around!" Hiccup commanded. She turned, very aware of the fact that she was almost completely naked. _Almost._ Hiccup stared at her round bottom. "Now bend over and remove your underwear. SLOWLY!" Astrid slyly bent at her waist, arching her back so that her booty stuck out a little more than normal, and slowly began teasing her underwear down around her hips. As it slipped down to her thighs, she suddenly felt Hiccup pressing up behind her, his hand smoothing its way down her bare back. She stayed bent over as her underwear hit the ground, and Hiccup continued to smooth his hands down her back, resting on her hips and squeezing, pulling her into the bulge in his pants.

"Stand up." Hiccup commanded.

She slowly stood up, her back was still to Hiccup. His hands slid from her hips and forward to her stomach, sliding up to her exposed breasts. Astrid arched her back from the sensation of his hands on her skin, and reflexively brought her hands up to reach behind her to grab for anything. Hiccup caught her wrists.

"Nuh uhh." He said, pulling her arms down and behind her back, holding them together. Astrid squirmed for a moment but was beginning to find the sensation of being totally helpless surprisingly freeing and arousing. She was used to calling the shots. He swept her hair off her shoulder and nibbled at the sweet spot where her shoulder met her neck, sucking and raking his stubble across her smooth skin. Astrid gasped with pleasure, head thrown back and lips parting.

Hiccup let go of Astrid and stepped back with a grunt. Astrid turned to face him. He pointed to his pants and commanded her to untie him. She knelt down in front of her chief and did just that, pulling his pants down slowly. His rock hard arousal sprang free of his pants. She instinctively wrapped her hands around his girth and began to stroke him, up and down. Hiccup threw back his head and moaned. "Mouth…." He whispered. Astrid smirked before taking him in her mouth, tasting his salt. He grabbed her hair and pulled her into his rhythm, letting a moan escape his lips and her mouth pleasured him.

"Enough." He pulled her head back and took a quick look around. He pointed to a nearby tree. "Against that tree." She walked over to the tree and turned to look at him for instruction. "Hands against the tree." He commanded. He walked up behind her and placed his hands on the small of her back, sliding them down to her hips, running them down to her heat, sliding his fingers inside from behind to make sure she was ready. Astrid gasped at all the sensations around her, the feel of the brisk air blowing against skin that wasn't used to exposure was making goose bumps pop up all over her body, making her nerves feel exposed and over sensitive to Hiccup's every touch.

"Hiccup, please…" She gasped, unable to wait for him anymore.

"Alright Astrid…" he began, pulling her unto a standing position, her back against his chest. Her head turned and his lips brushed hers before making her lean forward again against the tree, legs parted. He positions himself at her entrance and began to thrust. "But first you have to beg. Like you promised."

Astrid smirked to herself, but played along. "Oh please, Hiccup. I need you inside me!"

"Call me Chief…" Hiccup breathed as he shoved deeper inside her.

"Oh Chief! I need you inside me!" She had to admit, calling him chief made her breath hitch. Hiccup grunted in approval as well.

He pounded into her. "Tell me how you want it, Astrid."

"Harder!" Astrid pleaded.

"Harder _what?_ "

"Harder Chief Haddock!"

Hiccup obliged by pounding inside her hard from behind, but he was still going painfully slow. "Anything else, my wife? Is that how you like it? Tell me!"

"Faster Chief!"

Before long they had found their perfect rhythm and Astrid was screaming out Hiccup's name louder than she ever had before. Hiccup grunted and growled her name as every thrust pushed him closer and closer to the edge.

"Do you like it like that?" he growled as he was getting close.

"Just like that, Chief, Oh Gods, I love the feel of you inside me!" Astrid breathed as she began to reach her climax. Hiccup grunted in response with his own climax, spilling his seed inside her. They collapsed together in the grass. Astrid pulled Hiccup in close.

"Do you forgive me now, Chief?" She smiled, kissing Hiccup on his nose.

She didn't even wait for his answer before falling asleep blissfully in his arms.


	5. Daddy needs attention, too!

**A/N: This was another Tumblr drabble request. Someone asked for a drabble of Hiccup and son fighting for Mommy Astrid's attention. Enjoy!**

Hiccup was awoken rather hastily that morning by an overly bright sun shining directly in his eyes. He brought his hand up to shield them and grumpily tried to snuggle back into the covers to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, he felt the twinge of his dreams pulling at his groin. _Great, just great_, he thought to himself. For a second he wondered if he should just ignore it, but details of the hot, sexy dream he'd been having of Astrid began to play into his imagination, the blurry and nonsensical images beginning to clear in his head until the pulling at his groin was so intense it could no longer be ignored. He turned to reach for his lovely blond spitfire of a wife and found the other half of the bed empty. He pulled his head out of the covers to find he was alone in their bedroom.

Hiccup sat up and began rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, trying to listen for any sounds in the house. It wasn't long before he could pick up some _clinks_ and _clanks_ from the kitchen below, and also began hearing the coos and little laughs of young Stoick. Hiccup sighed to himself. He had woken up too late, his young son already had Astrid's attention. Ever since he was born, their sexy times had been severely lacking.

Hiccup pushed himself out of bed, metal clinking on the wood floor, and pulled his green tunic over his head. He tucked the evidence of his arousal in his waistband and headed down the stairs. Unfortunately with his metal peg leg, there wasn't really any sneaking. The clank clank can be heard echoing through the house. Astrid was sitting at the table with young Stoick, pouring him a cup of yakmilk , hair unbound and swept off her shoulder to one side. She was wearing her oversized nightshirt and her shoulder was exposed, peaking out through the too-large neck. When Hiccup turned in towards the kitchen from the stairs, her eyes rose to meet his.

"Good Morning, M'lady." Hiccup smiled.

Astrid ran her fingers through her soft blond hair, pulling her bangs out of her eyes. "Good morning, chief. Or should I say, sleepy head." She teased. Young Stoick laughed at his mother's joke.

Toothless, who had been curled up around the bottom of the tyke's chair, came crawling towards Hiccup, rubbing excitedly against his good leg. "Morning Bud, nice to see you too!"

Astrid smiled and stood up to take the yakmilk back to the icebox. Hiccup's gaze lowered to ogle Astrid's assets, and the twitch of his manhood reminded him of his arousal. He walked towards Astrid and pressed up behind her while she worked at the counter on their breakfast. He pressed his hips against the gentle slope of her bottom and snaked his hands around her waist, rubbing her stomach and making their way up, cupping her breast. He buried his face in her neck, tickling her with the stubble of his chin. Astrid pressed back into him and dropped what she was doing to bring her hands back behind her head to run her fingers through his straggly hair, making her unbound breasts more exposed to his touching. For a moment they both forgot where they were.

"Mommy!" Young Stoick bellowed from his high chair. "Mommy! HUNGRY!" He jutted out his lower lip with displeasure at being ignored.

Astrid quickly recoiled from Hiccup's embrace and went back to finishing up buttering the biscuits she was working on and putting the last of the food on the 3 plates in front of her, shrugging Hiccup off of her so she could take Stoick's plate to the toddler. As she rolled by him, she gave him a chaste peck on his cheek and winked at him.

"Here ya go, my little yakpie." She cooed as she set the plate in front of the disgruntled toddler. He clapped his approval before sticking a meaty hand ungracefully into his pile of scrambled eggs and shoved his fist in his mouth contentedly.

Hiccup grabbed the two remaining plates from the counter and brought them to the table, setting one in front of Astrid and sitting next to her with his own plate. She gave him a grateful smile and began to eat.

Young Stoick was beginning to be quite the talker. For awhile, Hiccup worried he would never talk, as it seemed all the other children his age in the village began talking sooner. But he seemed to be blowing them all out of the water now. In fact, the trick seemed to be getting him to STOP talking.

"Mommy, eggs yummy! Mmm Mmm good! Mommy, we fly dragons today? Mommy, can i fly Toothless with Daddy today? Mommy… mommy… mommy…" took over the entire morning breakfast conversation.

Astrid never missed a beat. She answered each question and seemed to hang on his every word. Meanwhile, Hiccup could NOT get that dream out of his head. Here she was, innocently telling Stoick for the millionth time that _no, he is too little to fly with Daddy on Toothless. Toothless goes very fast and they don't want him to fall and get hurt, because that would make mommy and daddy so so sad, _and he is just imagining her sitting on top of him, riding his still straining arousal, her head thrown back and panting, lost in the throws of their lovemaking.

He felt the pull again of his waistband.

He slid his right foot over to meet Astrid's playfully, snaking his right arm behind her back, and gently ran his hand up her nightshirt so his fingers could gently caress at the small of her back. She winked at Hiccup all while still talking to Stoick. She didn't seem to be getting his hints. He almost couldn't take it anymore. He needed her this morning. He wouldn't be able to get anything done until he could see that sweet mouth of hers calling out his name instead of babbling baby talk. He leaned in to Astrid's side and again nuzzled her neck with his stubble before nibbling her ear and whispered, "Maybe my mom wouldn't mind watching him for a little bit this morning."

Astrid's eyes widened and she looked from her chief and back to Stoick, still babbling away and blissfully unaware that neither parent was paying him full attention.

Her eyes narrowed playfully. "Why, Mr. Haddock, I had no idea you could be so impatient!" Her free hand tangled itself in his hair while he continued to nibble at her ear.

Hiccup continued to beg and plead in his rushed whispers in her ear, which was making his arousal even more intense. Finally, Astrid giggled and agreed, but added a "Make it quick, I have things to do at the academy today!"

She turned to Stoick and cooed, "Are you done with your breakfast sweetie?" the toddler nodded emphatically, drinking the last of his yakmilk. "Would you like to spend a little time with nana this morning before we go to the dragon stables?" The little guy nodded excitedly again and clapped his hands. Hiccup scooped him up out of his highchair and gave the tyke a hug before heading next door to Valka's house.

It was a good thing that they had built Valka's house next door to theirs, and it was even luckier that she hadn't gone out flying yet for the day. Hiccup knocked on the door and she had answered right away.

"Mom!" he began, out of breath from running, "Can you… maybe, just for a little bit.. uh…." he began uncomfortably, not sure exactly what to say, holding the toddler on his hip.

She just laughed at him. "Want me to watch little Stoick for you? It would be my pleasure. I love spending time with my grandson. She smiled at young Stoick and put out her hands to take him, and the meatball jumped into her arms. "Nana!" He bellowed, laughing. "Nana, me and Mommy are going to the dragon stables later!" Valka winked at Hiccup and he looked gratefully at his mother and mouthed "thank you!" as she took him into her house and he continued to babble endlessly about dragons and flying.

Hiccup had never ran back to his own house so fast.

When he got inside the door, she wasn't downstairs, so he ran up to their bedroom and found her already laying on the bed naked, waiting for him. He quickly threw off his tunic and untied his pants, letting them fall down around his feet. She giggled as his arousal sprang free. As he made his way to their bed, his eyes gathered in her beautiful body, and for the millionth time since they were married, he thanked the gods at how lucky he was.

Their lovemaking that morning put his sexy dream to shame.


	6. The Discovery

**A/N: The next few chapters go together. I had a request for mommy Astrid on Tumblr, and it kind of morphed into its whole own thing. Enjoy, and don't be shy, feel free to leave comments. :)**

Honestly, Astrid was probably the last to know. Well, strike that, Hiccup was the_ last_ to know. Still, everyone seemed to pick up on all the tell-tale signs before she did. Astrid just wasn't even really thinking about it. Not that she didn't know it was a possibility, for some reason, she just thought she had more time.

When she missed her monthly cycle, she didn't really think much of it. It happened from time to time for her, and wasn't really out of the ordinary. She continued on with her life as normal. She was busy with the Dragon Academy, coming up with training drills, helping Hiccup draw up designs for all his new ideas, acting as a liaison for the chief when there was just too much for just Hiccup to do alone.

It didn't occur to her until she was eating lunch with Valka one day.

"I've just been so hungry lately!" Astrid laughed, wiping the excess crumbs off her mouth from the fairly large meal she had just consumed. Valka had laughed and gone back to eating her own meal, without much thought. But not even 20 minutes later, Valka found Astrid behind the academy, losing all her lunch.

"Astrid, my dear?" Valka approached her, setting a comforting hand on her back as she wretched. "Are you ok?"

Astrid had gathered her composure, embarrassed that Valka had found her in such a vulnerable state. "Yes, I'm fine. I must have just eaten too much." She smiled weakly at her mother in law.

"Has this been happening a lot?" Valka asked, hand still rubbing at Astrid's back.

Astrid thought for a moment, concern growing as the realization hit her. "Actually, yeah. It happened earlier this week, and a few times last week, now that I think about it."

"Have you been feeling tired at all?"

Astrid thought back over the last few weeks. The memory of being awoken in the dragon academy in the middle of the day by the twins and being completely disoriented came to her mind. She _had_ been pretty tired lately. She merely nodded at Valka to confirm.

"Sweetheart, when did you bleed last?

Astrid's could feel the heat of embarrassment creep up her neck and knew that her face must have turned a particularly bright shade of red. Realizing what Valka was suggesting, she suddenly couldn't breathe. The words couldn't form in her mouth, so she only shrugged, using all the energy she had to try to bury the panic that was beginning to grip at her soul.

Valka's eyes grew wide before her face broke out into a wide grin. She pulled Astrid in close to her and held her in a warm embrace. "Oh Astrid! This is wonderful news!"

Astrid began to shake. Could this really be happening? Her mind was racing with a million thoughts. She had spent her entire life grooming herself to be a Viking Warrior. She was tough as nails and could best anyone at a fight. She had never, however, gained any skills or abilities that would help her with being a mother.

The only thing that Astrid could think to say was, "Don't tell Hiccup."

Valka pulled back and studied the girl, her smile fading. "Well of course, dear. You want to tell him yourself, aye?"

"I just…. I need some time to think."

"Of course sweetheart. I won't tell anyone. But Astrid, this is a good thing! I'm going to be a grandma! Hiccup is going to be a father!" She giggled to herself with delight. "And don't forget, the babe you are carrying will be the next heir of Berk!"

Great, just great. That was exactly what Astrid needed to hear, more pressure. All she could do was shake her head.

Valka could see the panic in Astrid's eyes. She cradled Astrid's face in her hands, searching her face. "Astrid, sweet lass, everything will be ok. You are going to be a mother! Congratulations!"

It was a small gesture, but it helped put Astrid at ease. "I need to go lay down I think. I'll see you later."

And with that, Astrid escaped. She headed back home and decided to lay down for a little bit because the emotional turmoil suddenly made her feel exhausted. She had no idea how much time had passed, but she awoke to darkness all around her, and a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Astrid, are you ok?" Hiccup was sitting on the bed, looking at her with concern. "It's not like you to disappear, and even less like you to take a nap. Are you sick?"

Astrid shook her head and pulled the blankets up over her head, trying to hide from Hiccup. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell him yet. She wasn't sure if the words were ready to leave her mouth. She worried her face would give it away though. Hiccup playfully pulled the blankets away and bent down to kiss her cheek. "Come on, out with it!"

Astrid took a deep breath. She guessed she couldn't keep it from him for too long, especially since Valka already knows. "I don't know… exactly… for sure…" she began. "It's only a hunch…" her voice trailed off because she didn't know how to say it, exactly. She was worried that Hiccup wasn't ready for this, as much as she didn't feel ready. He already had so many duties around the village and his time to go out on adventures with Toothless keeps getting smaller and smaller. A babe is a lot of time and a lot of responsibility. Without realizing it, Astrid involuntarily brought her hand to her stomach.

Hiccup picked it up right away. "Astrid… are you… I mean, are you trying to tell me you're…." he pointed at her hand on her stomach, eyes wide.

Astrid winced, and then nodded, bracing herself for his reaction.

He was quiet for a moment, mouth gaping open. It seemed like an eternity to Astrid as the news sank in.

Then slowly, his face broke into a huge, goofy smile. "Astrid, that's great!" He laughed and then jumped down into the bed with her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her.

"You…. You aren't upset?"

"Upset! Why in the world would I be upset! Astrid! I'm going to be a dad! You're going to be a mom! This is amazing! You're amazing." He smiled again at her with half closed eyes, holding her face in his hand.

"I was kind of afraid, I guess, that having a family would take away from your adventures with Toothless." Astrid admitted.

"Astrid," he began, placing his hand on her still flat stomach. "This…. This is my adventure. Our adventure."


	7. Astrid's Secret

Pregnancy didn't exactly suit the fearless Astrid Hofferson-Haddock. She wasn't used to people fawning over her and treating her like she could break at any second. In fact, she loathed the way people were treating her. She spent most of her young life making it a point to prove to everyone in the village that she was tough, strong, and she could take care of herself.

Getting married and having children hadn't exactly been something she had dreamed about as a girl, not like the other girls in her village. Sure, she knew it was a strong possibility, but she didn't give it a lot of thought. She especially never thought she would end up marrying the Chief of Berk. Being the wife of the leader of their clan definitely had their perks, but unfortunately being the _pregnant_ wife of the Chief of Berk and carrying the next heir was NOT one of those perks. Everyone doted on her like she was made of egg shells. The older woman of the village loved to gather and tell her exactly what she should and shouldn't be doing. "Oh dear, you can't eat THAT now!" and "Oh sweetheart, you shouldn't stand on that ladder, please, allow Snotlout to do that instead!"

Oh she hated it. She had only been with child for a few months and already she was ready for the whole experience to be over with. It didn't help that her body was betraying her as well. She was hungry all the time, yet anytime she looked at food, her stomach retched and twisted. Of course, anytime anyone caught her losing her meal, she felt like it was a sign of weakness.

She had sat with Valka and discussed her feelings, but her mother in law had only laughed. "Just wait." She had said, confidently. "Once the babe comes, it will all be worth it."

She wished she could be so sure.

Even Hiccup was walking around the village with a spring in his step, his head held a little higher. The men would give him a little punch in the arm with a "good going, man!" and a "That-a-boy Hiccup!" and he would just smile and thank them for their congratulations. Even HE had started treated Astrid a little differently. It wasn't obvious at first, but little by little, he slowly backed off from asking for her help around the village like normal. When Astrid confronted him about it, he had just gushed, "You have the most important job of all! Taking care of our little guy!" He rubbed an affectionate hand on her barely swollen belly and kissed her forehead.

The truth was, Astrid was terrified.

Anytime anyone had a baby in the village, all the young viking teens and women without their own children yet would gather to blubber over the newest addition, pinching little cheeks and squealing in delight. Astrid had just never felt that way. She didn't see what the fuss was about.

She was going to be a terrible, awful mom. She just knew it.

But one day, things began to change.

She and Hiccup were sitting together at their dining room table. Hiccup was reading through and making edits to the dragon manual, and Astrid was sitting sideways, leaning up against him and trying her hardest to knit a little sleeper, when suddenly she felt something. She sat up suddenly and stiffened as she waited to see if it would happen again.

"What… what is it?" Hiccup turned to look at his wife, concerned.

"Uh… nothing. I think…" Astrid brought her hand to rest on the small swell of her abdomen. She was becoming more and more aware of a little sensation. It felt like little butterfly wings tickling the inside of her belly, or maybe she would more liken it to very soft fingertips just barely drumming on the underside of her stomach. It was the first evidence that there was something going on inside her body besides the need to throw up every time she smelled yak.

She looked back at Hiccup who had reached out and began to rub at her shoulders. "I think I felt… something."

Hiccup's eyes grew large and the grin on his face widened so far that she thought his face might break in half. "Really?"

She turned to face him on the bench and he excitedly placed his hands on her belly.

She winced apologetically, "I don't know if you can feel it yet…its very… tiny."

"But you felt it?" he asked, his eyes moving from her belly up to meet her eyes, wide with excitement. She placed her hands over his on her stomach and smiled. For the first time since she found out she was expecting, she could envision the little life inside her. As she looked into Hiccup's excited eyes, she could see those shining eyes on a little boy or girl, she could see that goofy little grin playing with the dragons. More importantly, for the first time, feeling her heart swell with love at the idea of their little family, she knew she could do it. She knew _they_ could do it.

She still didn't like being doted on, and she definitely didn't like anyone telling her what she could and couldn't do, but at least now, Astrid carried the private smile of an expectant mother, aware of the little ticklings of the life growing inside her.


	8. Its time

"Oh dear Freyja!" Astrid mumbled to herself of the millionth time that day. She was so sick of being pregnant that she would give anything for it to be over. She was uncomfortable all the time, she couldn't move as fast as she used to, and everything she did had become a chore. Poor Hiccup tried to help her, but she was way too stubborn. She still wanted to pull her weight around the village. Astrid sighed, thinking about how pulling her weight meant much more right now than it ever has in the past. She looked down at her round, swollen belly and shook her head, placing her hands right where she knew the babe would kick. Of course, it worked like a charm, and the stubborn Haddock inside her kicked rebelliously against the pressure of her hands, just like she knew it would. She giggled in spite of herself. Even though she was absolutely miserable, she had grown to enjoy their little game.

Today was just an ordinary day. She had woken up to Hiccup kissing her on the forehead before heading out with Toothless, whispering for the millionth time as he had in the past 9 months to 'try to take it easy." She had only crossed her arms and pouted, causing Hiccup to shake his head. She had bitten his head off so many times about treating her differently that he had stopped arguing with her.

Like any other day, she wanted to fly with Stormfly. Flying was something that Valka had assured her was very dangerous at this late stage of her pregnancy, but Astrid couldn't see why. Sometimes she felt her safest on the back of her deadly nadder. She found Stormfly outside the house waiting for her, squawking a warm greeting. Astrid had hugged her and looked around suspiciously before whispering, "let's go, girl!"

After a quick lap around the island, Astrid decided to take Stormfly to the stables for some food and grooming. That was when she saw Valka, glaring at her from inside. She landed sheepishly next to Valka, but decided to pretend like nothing was wrong.

"Morning!" Astrid greeted as she slowly and awkwardly dismounted from her dragon, putting all her concentration on trying to make it look easy, when really her center of balance was so off she thought she might fall flat on her face. However, she landed victoriously on her feet, thanking the Gods that she didn't fall, especially not in front of Valka. She would never hear the end of it.

"Astrid, child… What're you doing?" Valka's eyes were wide and disapproving.

"The village doesn't stop just because I have a babe in my belly!" She repeated for the thousandth time. She was so tired of feeling like her life was in an endless loop.

Valka cradled her head in her hands. "Oh, you can be so stubborn!" she stated, before a smile began to tease at the corner of her mouth. "Just like someone else I know. Come, I will make sure Stormfly is tended to, and walk you back to the village."

"Or I can just ride Stormfly back…."

"No, Astrid. This is serious. You cannot be flying in your condition, and with the babe due within the fortnight!"

Most people in the village had learned to leave Astrid alone. After Mrs. Ack had tried to tell her that she shouldn't be climbing ladders or practicing her ax throwing, she'd had a meltdown in the middle of town square and had been dangerously close to losing the grip on her ax. After that, the Vikings mostly left her alone. Valka, however, did not take that hint. Astrid assumed she felt a little more invested in her wellbeing seeing as it was her first grandchild.

Astrid sighed in defeat. "Fine!"

The two women began the long walk back to the village. Valka did not hide her excitement over the pending birth, gushing while they walked about how great it will be to have a little Hiccup running around. She placed her hand on Astrid's belly a few times as they walked. Astrid's only solace was knowing that only _she_ truly knew where to place her hands to make the little one kick. Keeping the secret tucked into her heart was the only thing keeping her smile on her face.

They had only made it about halfway back to the village. Astrid used to run this trail every day, she could make it from the stables to the village in under 10 minutes. However, waddling back to the village seemed to be taking forever. Her feet were beginning to hurt, and she could feel them swelling inside her boots. Her brow was beading with sweet, and her breath was becoming labored. She could also feel a tightness in her back and belly. It was not an unfamiliar tightness. She experienced it from time to time, and Valka had told her they were just practice pains for labor. Still, the squeezing of her belly in combination with everything else while she waddled was beginning to become too much. She began to wonder if she'd even make it back to the village.

It was then that a familiar whoosh was heard from above. Astrid winced and looked up, shielding her eyes with her hand. Sure enough, there was Toothless and Hiccup. Within a matter of minutes, Hiccup had spotted them and landed neatly in front of them on the trail.

"Well this is a nice surprise, running into my two favorite ladies." He dismounted and walked over to Astrid, kissing her cheek while placing a hand on her belly. "And how is my little guy doing today?"

"Son, you do realize it could be a wee girl. I know Gothi predicted it would be a boy, but it's only a prediction." Valka laughed, placing her hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

Hiccup returned his gaze to Astrid's belly and smiled. "I know, but I hate saying 'it' when referring to the baby." He gave her belly an affectionate rub and Astrid felt her heart swell like it always does when she sees Hiccup's wide smile when talking about the baby. She placed her hand over his and he gave her another kiss on the cheek.

"Where are you guys heading? Need a ride?" Hiccup asked as he walked back to his dragon.

"Hiccup! You know Astrid isn't supposed to be flying this late into her pregnancy!" Valka lectured, eyes stern and hands on her hips. Astrid rolled her eyes again involuntarily.

Hiccup snorted. "yeah, and I'm sure all this walking is just great for her, right?"

Finally, thought Astrid. A voice of reason. She looked at Hiccup with pleading eyes. If he could ever read her mind, she really hoped the time would be now. The tightness of her belly was getting hard to ignore.

Valka and Hiccup stared each other down for what seemed like several minutes. Hiccup rubbed Toothless' head, "what do you think, Bud? Wanna give Astrid a ride? No flying, though." Hiccup looked at his mom for approval of his compromise. Valka merely shook her head in defeat.

Hiccup carefully helped Astrid onto Toothless, and seemed shocked when Astrid didn't protest his help. He hopped on Toothless behind her. "I've got it from here, mom!" He waved and Valka turned back towards the stables.

"Thank you." Astrid mumbled as she leaned back against Hiccup, exhausted. Not only was she thankful for the ride, but having a few minutes alone with her husband in the middle of the day was rare indeed. She rubbed Toothless' head affectionately. "And thank you, Toothless. I know it's not fun to walk instead of fly." Toothless nodded his head cheerfully.

Hiccup brought his hands around Astrid, resting his hands on her belly and kissing her cheek. "Wow, I've never felt your belly that hard before!" he rubbed a little more as he seemed to be testing and comparing the feeling.

"Yeah, it feels really tight. I was actually beginning to get a little worried there for a minute. I haven't felt quite like this before."

"What do you mean?"

So Astrid explained how Valka had told her about the practice pains and how she'd been having them for the last few weeks, on and off, but this felt a little more intense. She assured him it was probably due to walking and she probably just needed to rest. Hiccup was concerned but trusted Astrid's instincts.

The trio probably looked utterly ridiculous by the time they arrived back at the village. Toothless was walking carefully it seemed, with the very pregnant Astrid on his back and the Chief of Berk behind her. If anyone thought it was funny, they were smart enough not to laugh out loud. Toothless had taken them all the way to the Haddock house and Hiccup made sure Astrid made it into bed.

"If you aren't feeling better soon, or if anything feels out of the ordinary, make sure someone gets me immediately." Hiccup instructed her, with his eyes growing concerned. It broke her heart to see him worrying, but every minute since Hiccup picked her up, the pains in her belly and lower back grew worse. It went from just an uncomfortable tightening, to now feeling like her entire lower half was being crushed in a vice. She had been trying to hold it in, but just as Hiccup was beginning to stand up, she accidentally let a tiny whimper escape her mouth. For a moment, she hoped Hiccup hadn't heard it, but he had whipped around and was back at her side within a split second.

"Astrid!" His voice hitched, "Should I be concerned? Is the baby coming?"

As the vice lessoned its grip, Astrid planned to tell him she was fine. She should have a few minutes before it started again, but as she opened her mouth to tell him to go on about his day, the gripping hands of labor began squeezing at her again almost immediately, causing another surprised whimper to escape again. She placed her hand on her belly and suddenly she felt a wave of water flow through her nether regions. She looked down at the wet bed with wide eyes, embarrassed. Hiccup looked absolutely terrified, so he grabbed her and kissed her, eyes pleading to tell him what to do.

"Get Gothi," was all Astrid could say as the next wave of pain came even stronger than before. Then the world went dark.


	9. its time part 2

**A/N: Here is the last of the pregnancy drabbles. I could have made this a little more angsty, but I just couldn't bring myself to write sad things. So... in any event, sorry if this ends up being too fluffy and sweet. **

Hiccup had never ran so fast in his life. Where his leg met his prosthetic was rubbing painfully raw, his lungs screamed for breath, and he had a stitch in his side, but none of it mattered. He kept running. He didn't stop until he found Toothless. Thankfully, Toothless seemed to pick up on Hiccup's urgency and all but scooped Hiccup up and took him to the stables in no time.

"MOM!" Hiccup screamed, still trying to catch his breath on the back of the Night Fury. Valka snapped to face him in alarm, eyes wide with surprise. "MOM! Its Astrid…. Mom….. please!"

Valka ran to Hiccup and jumped on Toothless back and they flew quickly to pick up Gothi on the way back to the Haddock house. If Toothless minded flying with 3 Vikings on his back, he didn't make his opinion known.

The entire way, Hiccup tried to catch the woman up on what had happened, but he just couldn't seem to catch his breath, even though several minutes had passed. "Mom… Astrid, she said she was having pains, and then there was all this water… and she… she passed out! I couldn't get her to wake up!"

His mind was flashing back to that panicked moment. Astrid looked up at him after seeing the water from her womb soaking the mattress, her cheeks flushed for a moment, but then she looked scared. No, scratch that, she looked _terrified_. His heart ached and his chest squeezed painfully remembering her pleading eyes staring at him, then she had asked for Gothi before her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she collapsed back on the bed. Hiccup had never felt so scared and helpless in his life. He had embraced her, smoothing her bangs out of her eyes and kissing her face all over. "Astrid!" he had pleaded, trying to wake her up. Her skin was cold and clammy, and the beautiful color of her face had drained to a pasty white and the rosy hue of her lips had faded. He paused only a moment in sheer terror before running as fast as his legs could carry him to find Toothless, and subsequently, help.

"I knew she was pushing herself too hard." Valka lamented when they were nearly to the Haddock House.

"Mom, can we please cut that out right now?" Hiccup exhaled sharply, feeling the tightness in his chest coming back.

"Of course, I'm sorry Hiccup." Valka apologized, looking a bit sheepish. "Don't worry, we'll take care of her. I'm sure everything is fine."

When they finally made it to the house, Hiccup had raced back up the stairs with Valka and Gothi not far behind. Astrid was coming to when Hiccup found her.

"Hiccup….." She whimpered as she doubled over in pain again.

"Shhhhh" Hiccup cradled her face in his hands. "I'm here, Astrid. Whatever you need."

Astrid had grabbed Hiccup's hand and he squeezed it as reassuringly as he could. As terrified as he felt, he had to hold it together for her.

Valka and Gothi had made quick work of the situation. Astrid's contractions were coming fast. Gothi predicted that the birth could happen within the next few hours.

The next few hours were the longest hours of Hiccup's life. He'd never felt so scared, or so helpless. As the chief of Berk, he was used to fixing situations. He couldn't fix this, all he could do was wait. Every time Astrid groaned in pain, he felt his insides twist into knots. He did everything he could. He rubbed her shoulders when she requested and brought her water.

As it drew closer to the time of the birth, they had kicked him out of the bedroom. He was pacing the living room with every possible scenario running through his mind. He just hoped to Gods that whatever happened, Astrid and the Babe would be ok. He picked up his pencil from the table and flipped it through his fingers as he paced, methodically putting it down and picking it back up every few laps. Toothless kept trying to calm Hiccup by rubbing his head against his legs to try to get him to relax. Hiccup scratched his friend behind his ears. "I know Bud, I just can't sit down right now."

The seconds dragged like knives across his skin, both painful and uncomfortable, making his skin crawl with anxiety. Eventually, though, he heard it. It was quiet at first. If all his senses hadn't been on high alert, he may have missed it. He flew up the stairs, stood just outside the doorway, and waited. He could hear hushed tones from Valka and Gothi, and he heard a few last screams from Astrid before the high pitched squeals of a new life became completely audible. Hiccup couldn't contain his excitement, he burst into the room in time to see Valka cradling the babe in some blankets, having just finished cleaning the infant. He ran to Astrid who was pale and soaked with sweat. Her eyes met Hiccup's and she smiled. Seeing her smile allowed Hiccup to let go of the breath he didn't realize he was holding, and he relaxed all at once. He stumbled to Astrid's side and collapsed on his knees beside her, grabbing her hands and squeezing.

"How are you feeling?" Hiccup asked, kissing her hands and resting his cheek against her forearm. Just then Valka walked over to the couple with the babe in her arms. Astrid sat up and held out her own arms and held her baby for the first time. Hiccup got up from his knees and sat on the bed beside them. He put his arm around Astrid and leaned his head against hers as they gazed together at the life they created.

Astrid looked up at Hiccup. "Wonderful." She answered.

Valka smiled at the two, with tears welling in her eyes. "Congratulations! It's a boy!"

Hiccup looked down at the little boy and took in his features. He already had a red fuzz on his head, but he had the unmistakable square chin of his father. He reached his hand down and stroked the tiny cheek. He squeezed his wife. "He looks like my dad."

Hiccup's voice hitched just a little when he said it, and Astrid leaned her head back reassuringly against him. "Stoick" She said simply.

It took him a moment for her meaning to sink in. "Stoick? What do you….. oh."

"What a wonderful idea," Valka whispered, her lip quivering and a few large tears escaping her eyes. "Beautiful."

Gothi tugged at Valka's sleeve and gave her a knowing look. Valka understood her meaning and the two older woman left the room to give the new young family some privacy.

Hiccup couldn't remember a time when his heart felt more full as he watched the babe latch onto Astrid's breast and begin to take in his first meal. His entire life, he'd always felt like something was missing, like he wasn't whole. When he was a kid, it was his mother, then his foot, then his father. Now, holding his wife and son in his arms, he felt whole for the first time in his life.

No, scratch that…. There was definitely something missing here. Astrid must have sensed it too because she nodded at him when he looked at her. "Toothless, come up here, bud!" Toothless jumped giddily up the stairs and came to rest at Hiccup's side. His large dragon head rested on Hiccup's lap and he sniffed young Stoick's head. "Buddy, I'd like you to meet Stoick." He rubbed the dragon's head. Toothless made an excited growl of acceptance and looked back at Hiccup with big eyes.

Hiccup laughed to himself as he thought for the millionth time what his dad would say, seeing the dragon present for such an intimate moment. He looked up toward the sky and imagined his Dad looking down at them from Valhalla and smiling. Then for the millionth time again, he wished his dad was there.

Dad…. He was a dad now. He couldn't be more ecstatic, or terrified.


End file.
